Introduction

Controlling fans in a PC is something every builder has run into at some point or another. Whether sticking with an all air cooling build or even going with custom water cooling, you always need a place to take all of the fan leads to for power anyways, so why not have finite control of them all and find your own preferences for noise levels versus the performance of the fans. This is where fan controllers step in to allow users to not only have control of all of the fans in the system, they can also make for an attractive addition to the front bezel of the chassis as they use up one of the 5.25" bays in your PC.

This is where BitFenix steps in to give not only buyers of some of the hottest case designs currently on the market a chance to control their fans, but rather anyone with a 5.25" bay to spare and the desire to control their fans. Taking the basic concept of a fan controller with its various channels and wattage delivering capabilities, BitFenix took it a step further to coordinate with their own

Spectre LED fans that they also offer.

At the most basic level, you can take this controller and not only drop the noise levels with a quick swipe of the levers, but when it is time to sleep or watch a movie, you can also shut off the LED lighting of the fans, making for a darker room at the push of a button.

Today we are looking at the Hydra Pro Fan and LED controller from BitFenix. I am a little bummed that I wasn't sent the fans that this controller is based solely for, but I do have a couple of LED fans with a 2-pin LED power cable that runs separately from the 3-pin or 4-pin fan power leads. Jumping ahead a bit and already seeing that the instructions show that this controller is meant for the Spectre fans and ONLY the Spectre fans, I will take my chances and see if this is able to power others as well without shorting out the controller or doing any damage to the fans.

Stick around and have a read about this new fan controller from BitFenix. I know BitFenix case users are going to find this a perfect addition, but I hope to see if this controller is in fact capable of handling any makers fans as long as the connections are easily made as well.